Bride given away by the man who received her father's donated heart

A bride in Pennsylvania has been given away by the man who received her father’s donated heart.

Jeni Stepien’s father was murdered in September 2006, when he was walking home from work as a head chef at a restaurant.

Michael Stepien, 53, took a shortcut through the town of Swissvale and was accosted by 16-year-old Leslie Brown, who robbed him at gunpoint and shot him in the head. Brown is now serving a 40-year sentence in prison.

Mr Stepien’s heart was donated through the Center for Organ Recovery and Education – a group which allows donor families and the recipients to keep in touch.

Mr Stepien’s heart went to Arthur Thomas, a father of four who lives in the town of Lawrenceville, New Jersey, and who had been within days of dying.

“In order to get to the top of the transplant list, you have to be really hurting,” said Mr Thomas, now 72.

He told The New York Times: “Once I had my transplant, I, of course, decided I would write a thank-you to the family.”

But the families had not thought about meeting in person until Miss Stepien became engaged to Paul Maenner, a 34-year-old engineer, in October.

“One of my first thoughts in that following week was, ‘Who will walk me down the aisle?’” she told the paper. “I was thinking, ‘Oh, my gosh, it would be so incredible to have a physical piece of my father there’.”

At her fiancé’s suggestion, Miss Stepien wrote to Mr Thomas asking him to walk her down the aisle. Mr Thomas said yes, but only after talking to his daughter, Jackie, 30. “She said, ‘I think it’s a wonderful idea’,” he explained.

The wedding took place on Friday, in the same church where Miss Stepien’s parents were married. Mr Thomas and the bride formally met one day earlier, and he suggested she grip his wrist, where his pulse is strongest.

“I thought that would be the best way for her to feel close to her dad,” he said. “That’s her father’s heart beating.”

At the church, the bride was photographed touching Mr Thomas’s chest. At the reception, they danced together, and guests mingled with Mr Thomas and his wife, Nancy.

“I felt wonderful about bringing her dad’s heart to Pittsburgh,” he said. “If I had to, I would’ve walked.”

Miss Stepien, a primary school teacher, told The New York Times, as she was about to board a plane for her honeymoon, that she was overwhelmed by the emotions of the day.

“And I was just thinking, ‘My dad is here with us, and this man is here with us because of us’.”